Automatic railroad-gate



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. S. G. BURRELL.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD GATE.

No. 462,300. Patented NOV. 3,1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. G. BURRELL. AUTOMATIG RAILROAD GATE. No. 462,300. Patented Nov. 3,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPEER G. BURRELL, OF PENN HALL, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,300, dated November3, 1891.

Application filed March 23, 1891. Serial No. 386,075. (No model-l To aZZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SPEER G. BUREELL, a citizen of the United States,residing atPenn Hall, in the county of Centre and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad-Gates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the inventiou, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 3is a side elevation,and Fig. 4: isa central longitudinal section.

My invention relates to automatically-operating gates.

The object of my improvements is to provide a gate at arailroad-crossing which will be automatically opened by the approach andmovement of the train itself, and will be held open until the train haspassed through.

For these purposes my invention consists in the following constructionand combination of parts, which will first be fully described in detail,and the features of novelty then set forth in the claim.

In the drawings, 1 represents the rails of a railroad-track.

2 are the ties or sleepers.

are suspended rails having a vertical and endwise movement along theinner sides of the main rails 1.

4 are the beveled ends of the rails 3.

5 and 6 are swinging pivoted bars or frames supporting the cross-bars7and 8 between the inner rails 3, upon which the said rails are hung.

9 are the pivotal points upon the ties 2, at which the swinging bars orframes are hung at their lower ends.

10 represents springs of a suitable design, attached at one end to theties and at the other to one of the swinging frames and having aconstant tendency to throw the inner rails 3 upwardly.

11 and 12 represent the double gates.

13 and 1 1 are the hinges or pivotal points of the gate, one on eitherside of the track or road-bed.

15 and 16 are short downwardly-projecting arms upon the gates below thehinges l3 and 14.

17 and 18 are two bell-crank or right-angled levers arranged within therails.

19 and 20 are the hinge-shafts of levers 17 and 18, secured between twoties 2, upon which they oscillate in a similar manner to the hingeshafts or rods 13 and 14.

21 and 22 are slots formed on the inner ends of the levers 17 and 18,which end slots lie substantially in a horizontal plane when in thenormal position.

23 and 24 are downwardly-projecting arms of the levers 17 and 18.

25 and 26 are pivoted links connecting the short arms 15 and 16 of thegates with the arms 23 and 24 of the levers 17 and 18.

27 and 28 are two horizontally-lying arms, the outer ends of whichproject through the slots 21 and 22,theirinner ends being rigidlyconnected to and forming part of the swinging frame 6.

29 are rigid extensions'of the frame 5, to which the springs 10 areattached.

30 and 31 are stops 011 the ties 2, which limit the backward movementsof the gates.

The forward or closing movements of the gates are limited by the innervertical bars 32 thereof coming in contact with the ties 2. The shape ofthe gates may be as shown, or of any other desired and suitable type.

Theaction of my improved gate is auto matic. The flanges of the wheelsof the approaching train strike upon the inner rails 3 3 and depressthem and with them the swinging frames 5 and 6. This movement causes theprojecting arms 27 and 28 to swing upward within the slots 21 and 22 oflevers 17 and 18, raising the slotted levers and pulling the arms 23 and24 of said levers 17 and 18 inwardly. The inward motion of these armspulls upon the links 25 and 26, causing an inward motion of the shortarms 15 and 16 and a correspondingly upward and outward movement of thegates 11 and 12 until they are perfectly clear of the road-bed for thefree passage of the train. After the wheels of the train have passedover, the springs 10 act, as

will be well understood, to throw the rails? 3 tween the gates andslotted levers, and a upward again and the gates into a closedposispring connected with said supporting-frame tion across the trackagain. for normally swinging it and the suspended I claim railsupwardly. 15 .5 In an automatic railroad-gate, the combina- In testimonywhereof I affix my signature in tion of the suspended rails, a swingingframe presence of two witnesses.

supporting said rails, pivoted or swinging arms rigidly connected tosaid swinging frame,

slotted levers pivoted to the road-bed, within Witnesses: to which saidswinging arms operate, gates piv- ROBT. F. HUNTER,

oted upon the road-bed, link connections be- L. A. SCHAEFFER.)

SPEER G. BUR BELL.

